NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It can be hard to learn a new language, but one local group meets every week to make the process fun and exciting.
Daniel Huerta Marquez, who moved to the States from Mexico, created the "Nashville Spanish-English" group after finding a similar group in Austin and realizing nothing like it existed here.
"I was trying to find a way to make friends and also try to mesh with the culture," he explained. "The very first meetup, we were like 6 people. Really, really small."
Now, about 30 to 40 people meet up each week at different local spots around town to speak 1 hour in Spanish and 1 hour in English.
That way, native Spanish speakers can practice their English, and native English speakers can practice their Spanish.
"We have some communities in Nashville which is just focused for Hispanic. But our community is for everybody, you know? That is the difference," said Marquez.
This month, the group is celebrating seven years of Spanish-English learning in Nashville.
"It means a lot for me. It's like my baby — my 7-year-old baby," he laughed.
If you're nervous about joining, don't be. Daniel says 3,000 people are already members in Nashville, and newcomers of all levels are welcome to their free events.
"This is not a school; we are not teachers. We are just normal people that wanted to have normal conversations," he concluded.
If you want to get involved, you can join the Nashville Spanish-English Meetup, WhatsApp, or Instagram page.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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